District of Columbia Code
Part A - General
§ 10–1601.05. Ballpark development and construction

(a) For the purposes of this section, the term:
(1) “Ballpark” means a baseball-specific stadium owned by the District and constructed on the ballpark site.
(2) “Ballpark site” means the site bounded by N Street, S.E., Potomac Avenue, S.E., South Capitol Street, S.E., and 1st Street, S.E., or such other site as determined in accordance with subsection (b)(2) of this section if this primary site shall be unavailable to be acquired by the Mayor.
(3) “Baseball Stadium Agreement” means the Baseball Stadium Agreement dated as of September 29, 2004 by and among the Government of the District of Columbia, the Sports and Entertainment Commission, and Baseball Expos, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership.
(4) “MLB Team” means the entity that owns the Major League Baseball franchise that will play its home games in the ballpark.
(b)(1) For purposes of this subsection, the term:
(A) “Ballpark” shall have the meaning specified in § 47-2002.05(a)(1)(A).
(B) “Baseball Stadium Agreement” shall have the meaning specified in subsection (a)(3) of this section.
(2) The Mayor, subject to such conditions as the Mayor shall determine, shall:
(A) Acquire and convey to the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation, for use by the Sports and Entertainment Commission to satisfy its responsibilities under this subchapter, all necessary real property, including rights-of-way or other easements, that shall be required to develop, construct, and complete a ballpark within the site bounded by N Street, S.E., Potomac Avenue, S.E., South Capitol Street, S.E., and 1st Street, S.E.; provided, that if this site shall be unavailable or infeasible for the timely completion of a ballpark on or prior to March 1, 2008 relying only on the funding authority provided in this subchapter, any designated alternative site in the District of Columbia, including the site for Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, as defined in § 3-1402(4) [repealed], that the Mayor determines, subject to the approvals required in section 4.01 of the Baseball Stadium Agreement, will be available and feasible for the timely completion of a ballpark relying only on the funding authority provided in this subchapter; provided further, that if the designated alternative site is not within the Anacostia Waterfront, as that term is defined in subchapter XII of Chapter 12 of Title 2, the alternative site shall be conveyed directly to the Sports and Entertainment Commission; and
(B) Provide to the Sports and Entertainment Commission all funds from the Ballpark Revenue Fund or from the issuance of bonds secured by the Ballpark Revenue Fund as shall be required by the Sports and Entertainment Commission for the development, construction, completion, and leasing of the ballpark on the ballpark site in accordance with this section.
(3) The Mayor shall provide the Council with the following information associated with the ballpark:
(A) A copy of any term sheet, loan commitment, or any other material obligation executed by the District or any District government agency or instrumentality to finance the District government’s costs associated with the development of the ballpark;
(B) A copy of each material contract executed by the District or any District government agency or instrumentality for goods or services associated with the development of the ballpark; and
(C) On or before July 1, 2005, and every 6 months thereafter, a semiannual report which provides an accounting and itemization of all financial obligations and expenditures of the District government and all revenues generated to the District government associated with the development of the ballpark.
(c) The Sports and Entertainment Commission shall develop and construct a ballpark on the ballpark site in accordance with the following requirements:
(1) The ballpark shall be a first-class, open air baseball stadium to be constructed on the ballpark site, having a natural grass playing field, a capacity of approximately 41,000 seats, and market-appropriate concession, entertainment, and retail areas, fixtures, furnishings, equipment, features, and amenities.
(2) The ballpark shall be designed to comply with all public safety, accessibility, and urban planning requirements generally applicable to buildings of such scale, purpose, and location in the District of Columbia.
(3)(A) The Sports and Entertainment Commission shall enter into a Construction Administration Agreement with the Mayor and the MLB Team. The Construction Administration Agreement shall require the Sports and Entertainment Commission, the Mayor, and the MLB Team to form a Project Coordination Team to perform the following functions:
(i) Make non-binding recommendations to the Sports and Entertainment Commission and the MLB Team with respect to the retention of various design, engineering, construction, consulting, and construction management firms that will assist in the development and construction of the ballpark;
(ii) Receive reports from such firms pertaining to schedule, budget and other aspects of the development and construction of the ballpark; and
(iii) Make or provide the consents, authorizations, approvals, decisions, and other actions expressly required of the Project Coordination Team, to the extent legally permitted, under the Construction Administration Agreement.
(B) The Construction Administration Agreement shall provide for periodic regular meetings of the Project Coordination Team and for special meetings upon reasonable prior notice. The Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Mayor together shall have one vote and the MLB Team shall have one vote on the Project Coordination Team, and each will have the right to appoint and replace its voting representative by written notice to the other party. The voting representative who represents the Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Mayor shall be chosen jointly by the Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Mayor. Each voting member of the Project Coordination Team may act on behalf of the party or parties it represents, and in connection with the development and construction of the ballpark, may sign documents, authorize action, and otherwise bind the party or parties that it represents in connection with matters properly before the Project Coordination Team. The Project Coordination Team shall take action only by unanimous vote of its voting members.
(4) The Sports and Entertainment Commission shall use a competitive procurement process in accordance with its procurement regulations to select and engage the design, engineering, construction, consulting, and construction management firms and shall require such firms to comply with subchapter X of Chapter 2 of Title 2 [§ 2-219.01 et seq.].
(5) The ballpark shall be designed and constructed in a manner to promote the minimization of:
(A) The life cycle cost and environmental impact of the facility and dependence on petroleum-based fuels by utilizing energy efficiency, water conservation, or solar or other renewable energy technologies; and
(B) Waste production, water pollution, and storm water runoff from the facility, taking into account applicable criteria in effect, on April 8, 2005, of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System for New Construction and Major Renovation, LEED-NC version 2.1, as defined by the U.S. Green Building Council.
(6) The Sports and Entertainment Commission shall comply with the expenditure limitations set forth in §§ 10-1601.32 and 10-1601.33. The Sports and Entertainment Commission shall submit a monthly report of expenditures to the Council no later than the 15th of each month.
(d) The Sports and Entertainment Commission shall lease the ballpark, on behalf of the District, to the MLB Team pursuant to a lease agreement that has an initial term of at least 30 consecutive years, plus 5 2-year renewal options, and that is otherwise in accordance with the terms of the Baseball Stadium Agreement.
(e)(1) The Sports and Entertainment Commission and the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation shall promptly enter into a memorandum of understanding which shall address these agencies’ shared responsibilities for developing the master urban site plan and exterior design guidelines for the ballpark and parcels adjacent to the ballpark site within the Anacostia Waterfront.
(2) Parts F and G of subchapter XII of Chapter 12 of Title 2 [§ 2-1223.21 et seq. and § 2-1223.23 et seq., both repealed], shall not apply to the ballpark or the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.
(f) Except as provided in §§ 10-1601.32 and 10-1601.33, no funds in the General Fund of the District of Columbia shall be spent on the hard and soft costs (as the terms are defined in part B of this subchapter) for construction of the ballpark.
(g) References in this section to the Sports and Entertainment Commission shall be deemed to refer to the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, as successor to the Sports and Entertainment Commission, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
(Apr. 8, 2005, D.C. Law 15-320, § 105, 52 DCR 1757; Oct. 18, 2007, D.C. Law 17-22, § 6, 54 DCR 8006; Mar. 3, 2010, D.C. Law 18-111, § 2082(m)(1), 57 DCR 181.)
This section is referenced in § 2-1217.12, § 10-1202.02, § 10-1601.06, § 10-1601.08, § 10-1601.31, and § 47-2002.05.
D.C. Law 17-22 added subsecs. (c)(6) and (f).
D.C. Law 18-111 added subsec. (g).
For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 5 of Ballpark Hard and Soft Costs Cap and Ballpark Lease Conditional Approval Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-378, May 19, 2006, 53 DCR 4399).
For temporary (90 day) addition, see § 6 of Ballpark Hard and Soft Costs Cap Emergency Act of 2007 (D.C. Act 17-11, January 26, 2007, 54 DCR 1514).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2082(m)(1) of Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Support Second Emergency Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-207, October 15, 2009, 56 DCR 8234).
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2082(m)(1) of Fiscal Year Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2009 (D.C. Act 18-260, January 4, 2010, 57 DCR 345).
For temporary (225 day) addition, see § 5 of Ballpark Hard and Soft Costs Cap and Ballpark Lease Conditional Approval Temporary Act of 2006 (D.C. Law 16-115, June 9, 2006, law notification 53 DCR 5353).
For temporary (225 day) addition, see § 7 of Ballpark Hard and Soft Costs Cap Temporary Act of 2007 (D.C. Law 17-1, April 18, 2007, law notification 54 DCR 6580).